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U.S. adding bighorn sheep to protection list
March 24, 1998
The peninsular bighorn sheep population in the U.S. has declined by at least 76 percent between 1971 and 1997
Web posted at: 6:40 p.m. EST (2340 GMT)By Environmental News Network staff
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has added the peninsular bighorn sheep to the list of federally-protected endangered species. The animal has been protected by the California Endangered Species Act since 1971.
Peninsular bighorn sheep, a cherished symbol of the California desert, live along the hot, dry desert mountain ranges from the San Jacinto Mountains near Palm Springs, California, to the Volcan Tres Virgenes Mountains, north of Santa Rosalia, Baja California, Mexico. The entire range of the peninsular bighorn sheep extends along approximately 500 miles of contiguous habitat. Currently, only the United States population is considered endangered; the Mexican population is not included in this listing action.
The peninsular bighorn sheep population in the United States has declined by at least 76 percent between 1971 and 1997, from 1,170 to only 280 individuals. The species no longer can be found in several historic locations, including the Fish Creek Mountains in Imperial County and the Sawtooth Range in San Diego County.
The California Department of Fish and Game has developed management plans for the sheep in the Santa Rosa Mountains and McCain Valley in eastern San Diego County.
It has acquired 30,000 acres of habitat in the Santa Rosa Mountains, conducted research, and established three ecological reserves that protect important watering sites. The state and the Bighorn Institute are conducting captive breeding programs to augment the remaining population.
Habitat loss associated with residential and commercial development, roads, water projects, and recreational use have contributed to the decline of the bighorn throughout its range. Viral and bacterial diseases, often a sign of environmental stress, are contributing factors in the precipitous decline of this species.
Increased predation has also been documented closer to urban environments; the cause of this increase is unknown at this time. Higher numbers of adult sheep have been killed by mountain lions closer to urban areas than to wild lands. Domestic dogs, which are typically more abundant in urban areas, are capable of injuring and killing lambs, ewes and young rams.
Several studies have shown that bighorn sheep respond to human presence, including roads and housing developments, by altering behavior patterns to avoid contact. This behavioral response may preclude or disrupt the sheep's use of vital water sources, mineral licks, feeding areas, and breeding sites.
The Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service's San Bernardino National Forest manage lands that contain bighorn sheep habitat. These and other land management agencies, including city and county governments and a variety of interested groups, are cooperating in the preparation of a multi-species habitat conservation plan for the Coachella Valley that will help focus conservation actions on bighorn sheep.
Copyright 1998, Environmental News Network, All Rights Reserved
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